The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Phalaenopsis orchid, hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name `Dorothy Applegate`. The genus Phalaenopsis is a member of the family Orchidaceae.
Phalaenopsis comprises a genus of about 55 species of herbaceous perennials many of which, or the hybrids thereof, are suitable for cultivation in the home or greenhouse. Phalaenopsis is predominantly epiphytic or rock-dwelling, and is native to tropical Asia, Malay Archipelago and Oceania. The species typically has 2-ranked, fleshy, oblong or elliptic leaves affixed to a short central stem (monopodial growth), which vary in size from 5 to 8 inches to over 2 feet. The leaves may be entirely green or mottled with silver grey.
Phalaenopsis orchids, often referred to as `Moth Orchids` in the horticultural trade, are frequently used to furnish cut flowers for the florist trade or sold as flowering potted-plants for home or interiorscape.
Phalaenopsis produces upright or pendent lateral racemes, often with many showy flowers which open in succession beginning with the lowermost. The flowers possess three sepals and three petals; the lateral ones being alike. The lowermost petal, called the labellum, is three-lobed and is often more brightly-colored than the other flower segments. Flower colors include various shades of pink, white, yellow and red-brown.
Phalaenopsis orchids are typically propagated from seeds. Asexual propagation of Phalaenopsis is often done from off-shoots which frequently arise from the lower bracts of the inflorescence. The resulting plants are detached from the mother plant and may be planted in a suitable substrate.
The new cultivar is a product of a breeding program carried out by the inventor, Mitch Rabin. The new cultivar is a result of a self-pollination of an unnamed selection of Phalaenopsis.times.`Taida Modern` (unpatented) made in April of 1992.
The new cultivar is a seedling selected from seed produced by self-pollinating a plant that was produced by crossing an unnamed selection of Phalaenopsis with the Phalaenopsis cultivar `Taida Modern` in April, 1992.
Asexual propagation by tissue culture, performed by the inventor in Sebring, Fla., was used to increase the number of plants for evaluation and has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as here in disclosed for `Dorothy Applegate` are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.